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Danny is a special
kid. He's struggled in school and is a couple
of years behind other kids his age. In his first year with us we wondered if
he'd ever do a lick of homework or show any interest in going to class. He's
hung in there and we're proud of him. It's not that he's not smart, it's just
that the's interested in the outdoors and anything that keeps him inside had
better be good. Early on, when we still had open land to work with, Danny was
the one who watched over our gardens. Even as a very little boy he loved
putting his hands in the soil and waiting in hope for something to grow. Then
Siempre started getting chickens, ducks, rabbits, puppies and even goats-
Danny loved it and worked side by side, as if he was playing, helping
Alejandro care for the animals. The kids got the heart of a farmer and if I
have my way he'll have the opportunity some day to visit a working farm, to
watch it all in action in hopes that he can catch the big dream for his life.
Not everyone succeeds in school. And I'm not throwing in the towel on Danny
and his school work. But what a blessing that we can begin to show him that
there are unlimited options for him to live out his hopes and dreams. Danny's
a great kid and it's a blessing watch him grow. Love goes both ways. I get notes and emails thanking me for the work we're doing
with the kids in TJ. They're encouraging and I'm thankful for everyone.
However, sometimes they make me feel just a little guilty. Before we built
Siempre I didn't even realize how much fun a work like this could be. It's
well worth every Wednesday afternoon, every worry through the monthly budget,
it's worth all that and more. We thought we were going to be rescuing
children and giving them safe harbor, home and hope- and we are. We just
never realized we were going to fall in love with so many great kids as they
willingly opened their hearts to us. We've shared the birthdays, holidays,
haircuts, pulling the first tooth, etc. and been blessed to be welcomed into
the hearts of our wonderful kids and the entire Siempre family. God is too
good. |
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No School for 2
Days! The light rain that
hit Southern California was a deluge in northern Baja. TJ has a tendency to flood-
not much real drainage- lots of little houses built in canyons etc. And much
of it washed away Monday and Tuesday. Kids were rained out of school and our
workers were happy to see us show up. The house was loud. Even little kids
had been in trouble- getting into the older girls make-up and painting one
another. Cute stories- if you're not the one cleaning the kids up! Julia, our
daughter, was playing with the kids and holding Christina. Bianca, our
worker, asked Christina in Spanish, if she'd like to move to the US and live
with Julia and her husband Bobby. Christina was quiet for a minute- unusual
in any circumstance -so Bianca asked her again. Finally Christina said:
"Do they have food?" When told that they had plenty of food, she
hugged Julia and said, "sure!" "Do they have
food?" You have to wonder
where a question like that comes from. Kids are not at Siempre long until we
forget that each of them come from their own unique background of heartbreak
and suffering. The food, in such abundance at Siempre, may be a new thing for
Christina - something she's not quick to let go of. Something she wants to
make sure she never has to do without again. "Do they have food?"
We laugh. But it cuts to the core of poverty. Most of us will never know what
it is to have our stomachs knot in the pain of hunger- for lack of money to
buy food. If three meals a day was what Christina needed to experience hope
in her young life- praise God -we can do that. What needs to be breaking our
hearts still, is that across the muddy hills and filthy streets of TJ, little
children are still living at risk, still hungry and still far from the
promise of Siempre. Far from the promise of home. Sitting in the comfort of
my home this afternoon, I can't help but wonder, "Do they have food?"
Help me reach out to the least of these so that no child, so near our door
steps, ever has to live outside the hope of Siempre again. Together, we're
making a difference. |
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To all Siempre's friends living in
Florida, our prayers go out to you and your families in the wake of
these storms. Max, Susan, hope you and the girls are all fine. Jay, hope all
is well for you, your family and your church. All of you are in our prayers.
Thanks so much to those of you that continue to support Siempre. You keep our
doors open. Check out the web site. Good things are happening there. Thanks
to Ken for spending his Thursday helping Alejandro and Israel buy an
additional washer and dryer with the recent donation and getting it all
hooked up. Hard to keep up with all those dirty clothes. Hope you're enjoying
the updates- if not- you can always opt out at the bottom of the page- if so,
forward it to a friend- again, little blue forward at the bottom of the page.
This email goes to 5 million as easily as it does to 500- it's just that the
power of 5 million to reach every child outside the hope of Siempre is
tremendous. You can help. We need it, now, more than ever. siempre,
Siempre Para Los Ninos email: eric@siemprekids.org
phone: 1-951-689-5806 |
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